Big-Brother Randy Rossi, new Executive Director of the Rhode Island League of Cities & Towns, seeks to “erode freedom, fleece taxpayers, and fatten government”

Randy Rossi, the freshly minted executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, has stormed into the State House with a legislative wish list that’s equal parts audacious and outrageous. This 45-year-old former Smithfield town manager is pitching a slate of ideas that reek of big-government meddling, thumbing his nose at taxpayers, parents, and the very principles of individual liberty conservatives hold dear. From speed cameras to property tax hikes to slashing school choice, Rossi’s agenda is a masterclass in how to alienate hardworking Rhode Islanders while pretending it’s all for their own good. Let’s break this down and expose it for what it is: a power grab dressed up as municipal compassion.

First, the speed zone cameras. Rossi wants to slap these revenue-generating snoops outside school zones, where they’re currently banned. This isn’t about safety—it’s about cash. Cities and towns, whining about tight budgets, see this as a sneaky way to fleece drivers without the accountability of a real cop writing a ticket. Conservatives know the drill: government loves a surveillance tool that doubles as a tax collector. Never mind that Rhode Island’s roads are already a gauntlet of potholes and overzealous enforcement—now you’ll get a fine in the mail for daring to go 31 in a 30. It’s nanny-state nonsense, and it’s the last thing a state with a proud independent streak needs.

Then there’s the property tax cap fiasco. Rossi’s pushing to ditch the 4% limit for towns that roll out the red carpet for “large-scale affordable housing.” Translation: if your community buys into the progressive housing utopia, your taxes can skyrocket to pay for it. This isn’t a solution to Rhode Island’s housing crunch—it’s a punishment for taxpayers who’ve already been squeezed dry by decades of Democrat mismanagement. The cap exists to protect residents from runaway government spending, not to be tossed aside whenever a bureaucrat like Rossi wants to play social engineer. And don’t miss the irony: “affordable housing” that jacks up property taxes for everyone else isn’t affordable—it’s a redistribution scam. Massachusetts might flirt with this under Proposition 2½, but Rhode Island doesn’t need to copy its bloated neighbor’s playbook.

The real gut punch, though, is Rossi’s attack on school choice. He wants to gut the public dollars that fund transportation for private and parochial school students—money that’s been a lifeline for families exercising their right to educate their kids as they see fit—and redirect it to cover busing for “unhoused” students. Look, no one’s arguing against helping homeless kids get to school, but this isn’t an either/or issue unless you’re a government hack looking to pit one group against another. Rossi’s framing it as a noble trade-off, but it’s a blatant assault on parental freedom. This approach undermines a child’s right to a proper education by stripping away a key piece of school choice. Parents of private school kids are taxpayers too, saving the state millions by not dumping their kids into overcrowded public systems. Rossi’s response? Tough luck—your tax dollars are better spent propping up failing districts than honoring your choices.

Coventry’s crying about its $1.3 million out-of-district busing tab, and Providence is griping over its $2 million. Fair enough—budgets are tight. But Rossi’s fix isn’t fiscal responsibility; it’s a shell game. Instead of tackling root causes—like why public schools bleed money on administrative bloat or why the state’s reimbursement rates are a joke—he’s kicking the can down the road and kicking families in the teeth while he’s at it. “Cost-sharing” for non-public school rides? That’s code for charging parents twice—once through taxes, then again at the fare box. Meanwhile, the Independent Schools Association and the Catholic Diocese are rightfully up in arms, pointing out that all parents fund the system, not just the ones Rossi likes.

And let’s talk housing again, because Rossi’s vagueness here is a red flag. He’s floating a bill to exempt “large housing developments” from the tax cap, but won’t say how big “large” is or how high taxes might climb. This is classic progressive bait-and-switch: promise relief for a crisis, then hit taxpayers with the bill when the dust settles. More kids in schools, more strain on services—sure, development has costs. But conservatives know the answer isn’t uncapping a tax lid; it’s cutting waste, streamlining permits, and letting the private sector build without government’s sticky fingers all over it. Rossi’s own Department of Housing pals are “interested” in this scheme—shocker—but that just proves it’s a cozy insiders’ club, not a taxpayer win.

Rossi’s defenders might say cities are strapped, and he’s just facing reality. Fine—then face it with cuts, not gimmicks. Speed cameras, tax hikes, and busing cuts don’t solve money woes; they shift the burden onto citizens who’ve already had enough. This isn’t leadership; it’s cowardice. Rhode Island deserves better than a League boss who’d rather cozy up to lawmakers than stand up for the people footing the bill. Conservatives should see this for what it is: a blueprint to erode freedom, fleece taxpayers, and fatten government. Time to send Rossi and his boondoggle back to the drawing board—or better yet, the unemployment line.